Dawnings...
by Shahrressa
Summary: Meet Shahrressa as she leaves home for the first time...


"I don't like him, Shah," Janina told her daughter as she wove Shahrressa's valorite hair into a braid. "He seems so... irresponsible."  
  
"Oh, Mother," Shahrressa replied with an exasperated sigh. "Please, let's not get into this again, really. I am old enough to decide who I wish to date. Ouch! Hey!"  
  
Janina grinned slyly as she twisted a shiny black ribbon tightly into the braid. "Move your hand, Shah, and listen to your mother. No good will come of this, I promise you."  
  
Shahrressa sat and fumed silently while Janina continued to fix her hair. There was no convincing her mother that Josse would not lead her astray. Sure, the dark-haired, grey-eyed youth was a bit of a rogue... but that's what Shahrressa liked about him. He was full of adventure and knowledge, and he had lived so many tales in parts of Britannia that Shah had never seen. She was tired of Skara Brae and the boring villagers. She wanted to go and do. "Listen, Mother, I promise you I will come to no harm with him. Besides, I am an excellent fencer, and I can take care of myself!"  
  
The door opened and a tall, handsome youth stepped through it. There was a restless energy about his movements as he took an apple from the basket on the table and bit into it with a loud crunch. "Hey, Lady Janina, Shah," he said with his mouth full, then flashed them a boyish grin, and went into the common area without saying another word.  
  
Janina chuckled at her ward. Civ reminded her of his father, a longtime friend from her childhood. "Civ passed his Exam yesterday, by the way," she told Shah, expertly plaiting the braid. "Only one more year to go in his training... time passes so fast. We will have a special dinner for him tomorrow night. You will be there, aye?"  
  
Shahrressa winced. She had already made plans with Josse, and he always became grouchy when she changed their plans. Yet going against the wishes of her parents made life uncomfortable, also. "I... um... that is to say..."  
  
"Aye?" Janina spun Shah around to face her, and raised an eyebrow.  
  
Shahrressa relented. "Aye, I will be there, I wouldn't miss it." She flashed her mother an encouraging smile.  
  
Janina finished the braid and patted her daughter on the back. "There you go, now don't be too late coming home tonight." As Shah stood, Janina turned her around and looked reassuringly into her azure eyes. "At least think about what I said?"  
  
Under her mother's gaze, Shahrressa felt a bit self-conscious. "I will, Mother... I will think about it."  
  
"Bah, family always gets in the way of fun," Josse said, throwing a chicken bone into the fire before them. "I tell you Shahrressa, I tire of this boring place. Out there," he mused, pointing his flask into the darkness of the wood in which they sat, "one can do as he pleases, when he pleases, owning to no one but himself, and never having to attend to dull family parties."  
  
Shahrressa tried to imagine a life without having to answer to someone and found she could not. There was always family: her mother and father, seven older brothers and also the young mage apprentice that had been staying with their family for the past four years. She had to deal with them constantly - she was rarely by herself or left with idle hands.  
  
She considered herself blessed, though, that they were brothers and not sisters; they all taught her some of their skills and lessons, so much so that there was no argument Shahrressa was unlike most of the girls in the village. Her parents were under no false impression that Shah would marry and settle in Skara Brae, content in a life of bearing children and tending house. But she still had her share of responsibilities to attend, and her parents were very strict about that. They were a close-knit bunch, and she loved them all dearly.  
  
"Have you no family, Josse?" Shah asked him, tentatively. He rarely discussed his personal life.  
  
He chuckled cynically. "Once, upon a time... but now, no." The silence that followed hung heavy enough to prevent her from prying further. She leaned over against his shoulder and pulled her knees to her chest, feeling his warmth. Crickets and spring peepers filled the air with their songs, and it seemed that they were the only two people in the entire wood.  
  
After a few minutes, Josse spoke again, and his voice was smooth, but insistent. "Aye, Shah, I tire of Skara Brae... soon I will be off again. I am not the man to stay in one place." There was an invitation in the smoldering depths of his eyes as he waited for her reply.  
  
Shahrressa tensed. It was a statement she had been expecting to hear almost since the day they met. He warned her of his wanderlust and often reminded her that he did not ever stay settled long. A flash of loneliness stabbed at her, because she did not wish him to leave. But there was only one other way they could stay together, and she knew he would never ask her. So she cleared her throat and asked him, her voice sounding less confident than she would have liked.  
  
"Take me with you?"  
  
Her request seemed to amuse him. One corner of his mouth pulled into a slight smile and a devilish look came into his eyes. Josse took another swig of ale out of his silver flask, and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Aye, well," he said, "why not?"  
  
There was nothing unusual about the day Shahrressa set out from her home in Skara Brae to seek what she might find. The valorite-haired fencer packed what few belongings she had in her pack, hugged her family, and walked through the oaken door of their modest home. Her parents had objected at first, but surprisingly it was her brothers who supported her, and in the end even her father grudgingly agreed to let her go. Janina watched her daughter until she was out of sight, and even longer.  
  
Shah walked the way through the woods to the city proper and met Josse; he didn't want to be part of the "family scene" and declined to meet her at her house.  
  
"Hullo, Love," he said, kissing her on the cheek as she reached him. "Ready to go?"  
  
She shouldered her pack and smiled. "Aye, I'm ready." Shah waited while Josse prepared the magic, swallowing hard when the blue moongate appeared out of nowhere. Closing her eyes tightly, she stepped through.  
  
Her stomach seemed to have been left behind as her body drifted through space for what seemed like both an eternity and an instant. Shah finally felt earth underneath her feet again and opened her eyes. Josse stepped from behind her and the moongate was gone as quickly as it had appeared.  
  
A great grey building stood before her, and many people dressed in heavy robes were going in and out of it, chattering loudly. The dialect was slightly different then what she spoke, but it was still the common language of Britain. She had never seen such a large amount of people. She turned to Josse with a smile. "Are we here?"  
  
He nodded with a rich chuckle. "Aye, we're here", he said, gesturing with his arms wide. "Welcome to Vesper!"  
  
Vesper! Shahrressa had heard tell of all the cities of Britannia to be sure, but had rarely visited any of them. And here she was, away from home, in one of the larger cities! She looked about wondrously at the crowd. A man in a gaily coloured hat was shouting something about wares for sale. Another, dressed in dingy grey and carrying a fishing pole, was trying to sell fish steaks to a gentleman in heavy armour. They seemed to be arguing good naturedly over the price of the fish. A flash of red caught her eye and she gasped as seven strong warriors dressed in identical obsidian robes and scarlet cloaks rode by her, laughing and chatting about a battle they had fought. It was an impressive sight.  
  
She felt self-conscious about the way she was dressed and wondered how she would fit in. Josse noticed her unease and smiled. "Don't worry, Shah," he told her. "Soon you will blend in nicely."  
  
Before she could ask what he meant, Josse outfitted her in chain armour, new boots and more importantly, her first real weapon. She filled her pack with food and wine, and learned how to seek out the correct vendors for the reagents she needed to cast her own magic - magic encased in a red book that she accepted from Josse with trembling hands.  
  
Magic was foreign to Shahrressa. It was the one skill that none in her family had talent for. Her parents had longtime friends from their youth who were mages, and had heartily agreed to let their son Civ stay with their family while he went to the mage school near Yew. Civ was the only mage that Shah knew personally. Just seeing him cast the spells or chant made her uneasy. She knew it was an important part of Britannia but had no interest in seeking the secrets of the arcane. She was happy with her kryss and counted on her strength and speed to aid her. Yet, healing quickly in a pinch and traveling by moongate would be useful, so she did not object to the simple tricks Josse taught her. He seemed to be a Jack-of-all-Trades, something that impressed young Shah very much.  
  
The days in the city flew by for Shahrressa, but it wasn't all a fairy tale. Vesper was one of the rougher cities of Britannia and Josse often left her alone while he attended to "business". She learned the most direct routes to the shops and how to protect herself from the thieves that ran rampant through the streets. She discovered that if she stayed within the city limits, the villains that lived in the forests surrounding the city were not brave enough to attack her. The few times she did venture away from the protection of the town guards, she found herself awaking some hours later at the healers without any memory of what had happened to her.  
  
After one such episode, Josse introduced her to a tall, very thin man who was guildmaster of a fine group of men and women who were honing their skills. Brutus spoke with both her and Josse at length and before long, both were members in full standing. That was the last Shahrressa lived in Vesper.  
  
Yew was the place they moved to for a while, a deep wooded city not far from where Shah grew up. Inside the Courthouse with other guild members, Shahrressa fine-tuned her skills until she could call herself a Grandmaster in both fencing and tactics. She made friends easily and found herself with plenty to do.  
  
Fall saw things change within the guild. Petty politics burst on the scene and Shahrressa followed Josse and their new "family" when the guild split into two factions. Soon they were stationed in Serpents Hold, training newer guildmates in the warrior's art.  
  
In her spare time, Shahrressa found herself studying the eight Virtues that ruled the land. Lord British's Virtue Guard were everywhere, and always gave the eager young warrioress their time. Shahrressa had learned somewhat of the Virtues from her oldest brother, Ian; but in Serpents Hold she found that the depth of the Virtues she studied went much farther than even he had taught her. They both fascinated her and gave her some direction for her future plans.  
  
She wrote letters to her family in Skara Brae, and had many happy evenings alone with Josse in their room at the Broken Arrow Inn. Shah was content with her new life. And so passed her first year away from home.  
  
One day Josse approached her with an odd look in his eye. It was one Shahrressa had seen before. "Time to move on, Shah."  
  
She looked up from her place on a stone bench in the Guild Hall, a piece of leather thong twisted between her fingers and the armour she was repairing. His statement surprised and confused her. They were comfortable within the guild; why then would he wish to leave? Had something happened?  
  
"Why?," she asked.  
  
Her query seemed to surprise him, and he cocked an eyebrow at her. "Why? It is time, Shah, that's all. I'm tired of Serpents' Hold, there is nothing more to do here. We have learned all we can from these people, it's time to go." A shadow of annoyance crossed his face.  
  
She had been certain that she was in love with him. Her chest felt tight at the sudden flash of thought that he might leave her. Although he would never talk about a commitment, it was an unspoken given that they were a couple. He was the one constant she had in this huge land called Britannia. Shahrressa knew that once he had made up his mind to leave, she would never persuade him to stay. His abrupt change in mood puzzled her, and she cast him a curious glance. He seemed to enjoy her struggle to capture her composure at his surprise announcement.  
  
Shahrressa had grown in the year she had been with the guild. She'd proven adept at handling herself. Concepts like commitment and loyalty held new meaning for her, living far away from her family. She learned the value of a true friend: friendship had to be earned, unlike the family who loved her no matter what. Gradually she had become less and less dependent on Josse to guide her. She blossomed into a confident young woman who made friends easily with her steadfast heart.  
  
Suddenly, Shahrressa saw Josse in a different light. He seemed selfish and overconfident that she would follow him, always. After everything that the guild had done for them, the friends and promises they had made, would he then go back on his word, and force Shah to forgo hers, also?  
  
Shahrressa drew a deep breath, and forbade herself to tremble. She swallowed hard, lifted her chin, and boldly met his eyes. "I made a commitment, Josse, and I will see it through.... I will not be going, this time."  
  
He stiffened at her challenge, and his demeanor changed... his eyes narrowed and his back became rimrod straight.  
  
"Stay, then, if you wish," he said, coldly, "Stay here forever and never do anything more exciting than train the younglings. I will not wait for you."  
  
There it was. He would leave, with or without her. For some reason, however, Shahrressa did not feel afraid. She met his icy gaze straight on.  
  
"I understand." It was all she had to say.  
  
He turned on his heels and walked from the Hall. She made no move to follow him.  
  
When she returned to their room, she found he had already gone. There was no note. He did not say good-bye to anyone, and Shahrressa doubted she would ever hear from him again.  
  
As more and more of her guildmates became proficient enough to teach new members, Shahrressa found herself studying the Virtues more and more. She passed the time alone in her rooms, reading every bit of material she could get her hands on, or talking with others in Serpents Hold who knew of such things. Eventually her guildmaster took notice. "Shah," Arthur said to her one day, "there is a place where you can go and learn more. It is a far journey from here, but I think you would find the answers you seek in this village."  
  
She smiled. "You have been reading my mind, Milord," she told him. "For as much as I like it here, I hold that desire to live by and uphold the Virtues, and to learn more about them."  
  
He took her hand with commanding presence. "Then I shall write for you a recommendation to the Lord Einoin, who governs Winterbourne, and tell you how to get there from here."  
  
Excited, Shahrressa could not pack fast enough... but when she finished, she found that she was loth to leave. Here, she had the security of guild and friends. Out there... it was a different story. It would be her first solo journey and the nagging doubts in the back of her mind refused to be stilled. Yet, the confidence her Guildmaster had in her assured her she was ready for such a trip, and she was comforted.  
  
She lingered around the Guild Hall for a day, saying her good-byes and accepting well wishes from her "family" before saddling her horse and setting off across Britannia and even further. Her skills had served her well. Strong, well muscled and powerful, the warrioress was ready for adventure. She no longer thought of Josse; only of the quest that she had undertaken: to live her life by the Virtues set in place by Lord British, the ruler of all Britannia.  
  
It was a long, hard journey to the North. Shahrressa found herself seeking shelter from storms in which the rain fell in great, cold sheets. It was often muddy, but the rain kept the majority of the scattered brigands who populated the woods off her trail. Her sure-footed grey horse was her only companion on the quiet roads.  
  
Several weeks passed, and she found herself ascending a slope which took her out of the thick fog that shrouded the flatlands. At its crest, she stopped her mare, who snorted playfully at the soft snow beneath her enormous hooves. A small smile of enchantment touched Shah's lips as a little village appeared out of the mists before her. Shahrressa looked upon Winterbourne as it glistened beneath a layer of freshly fallen snow, serene and welcoming in the morning light. Shahrressa knew not what lay before her, but kicked heels to the sides of her mare, and together they fearlessly rode forth into this new adventure that would shape another part of her life. 


End file.
